Here's a quircky idea for Pat Buchanan: Since he's living in New York because Nixon lost the 1968 election, it would be interesting to see him run for some sort of elected office (Congressman, most likely) as part of Buckley's New York Conservative Party.

I miss Washington. Really, Governor Dickinson said to a close aide just three months after taking an office of Governor.

Alabama Democrats, moderates, progressives and conservatives alike, wake up with a huge hangover after an election night, blinking with a disbelief. A Republican Governor in Alabama?! How, on earth, could that happen?

How could? Not very hard to figure out: Allen "Independent Democratic" candidacy created a three-way, that allowed a Republican, who just a few days before was appearing to lose his mind, giving up rather safe House seat, in a hopeless quest for a statewide office.

While Dickinson was definitively a conservative, thus couldn't count on progressive and moderate Democratic support, he was also attacked by an old Dixiecrats, who viewed Brewer-Allen battle as "thing within a family".

To be fair, an intelligent and articulate Dickinson had a clear agenda: first of all, he was exclaiming an urgent need for cutting off a shameless patronage and attracting business to the state. Thus, shortly after assuming an office, he created a "Clean Government" commission, to review all misregulations and corruption within a state government. The commission succeeded in exposing a lot of misdemeanors and abuses, and, riding on public outrage, paved a way to a passage of large reform bill, but it was to be only real Dickinson success. Other initiatives, such as tax code reform, failed.

The first Republican Governor of Alabama spent almost his entire foru-year term fighting with a conservative Democratic legislature over even most petty things, and this time, the Democrats were determined to unite before 1974 election.

In order to appeal to the conservative Dixiecrats, Dickinson took unexpectedly combative stance against futher racial integration, becoming a leading opponent of a court-mandated busing by 1972.

By second half of the 1970s, Reverend George Wallace already established his nationwide reputation as one of the leading tele- and radioevangelists, not only in Alabama, but the United States as whole.

Wallace himself acknowledged: Thanks to my status as a former political hopeful, a ruthless demagogue who experienced a moment of grace and turned to God, I'm generating more interests that I'd do if I were a career preacher. But that's good, because my preachings have wider audience.

Wallace's preaching activity had two themes, one traditional: an usual religious and "moral" side, especially when it comes to championing temperance, and the second, more political, despite his frequent declarations "I'm done with an active politics. Period".

Justice for all children of God, regardless of color and social background, Wallace describes this theme.

Thanks to his restless championing of an idea of racial equality and overcoming a grim era of Jim Crow, strenghted with his status as a "repented sinner", Wallace became considered by many as a part of the "religious left", along with such representatives of an African American community, like Jesse Jackson, with whom he worked by occasions.

Even not easy forgiving President Folsom admitted privately that That little bastard preachings did a lot for an idea of tolerance and understanding... but, hell, I wonder if he's even sincere about this.

While Wallace's preaching made a great impact and won admiration from not only (and obviously) Blacks and Liberal Southern whites, but also a lot of former segregationists, for an unconditional group, mostly his former political supporters, he was a hated turncoat, traitor and, of course, a "niggerlover".

Those sentiments almost cut short his new career in June 1973. During a public prayer in Atlanta, Georgia, a young fundamentalist shot twice in Reverend Wallace's direction, shouting YOU DON'T KNOW MY JESUS!. He missed, fortunately.

After the accident, Wallace, in addition to his media appearances, decided to embrace some more direct form of action, founding, four month later, a foundation, named after his deceased, beloved wife Lurleen. The Lurleen Wallace Foundation was dedicated to promote racial tolerance, temperance and help to a children from poor background.

The foundation was a success, since George was pretty good, during his current and past live, in raising funds.

On a joyful day of January 20, 1973, Jim Folsom could not avoid some candid reflection on how far did he come, from a political clown turned maverick Dixie Governor in the 1940s, all the way to President of the United States, just reelected in landslide over, after all, a formidable opponent. Well, I always were a lucky bastard, he thought, while repeating an oath of office.

"Big Jim" during the 1972 campaign

In his toned down inaugural speech, pretty unusual for a man of such political temper he always used to be, President Folsom promised to continue a present direction.

As he was entering his first full term in the office, he had all reasons to feel a satisfaction. An armistice between North Vietnam and the United States was signed in May 1972, followed by a full-time agreement in October (which greatly helped him during a campaign fall). A new, more peaceful relations between Washington and Moscow progressed. A relative prosperity continued at home, combined with a domestic peace.

With his own high approvals and larger Democratic majority in the Congress, President Folsom decided it's a time to try with one of the key points of Democratic agenda since times of Harry S. Truman and his "Fair Deal": an universal healthcare. Despite an opposition from the conservative circles, the wide plan was passed in mid-1974 and signed into a law.

President Folsom just achieved a true landmark in the history of American politics and Government, but he didn't know, naturally, that 1973 will be the last happy year for him.

When John Patterson first entered national spotlight, back in 1954, he was a hero: a young, idealistic and long uninterested in politics attorney, that carried out his fallen father crusade against ruthless mob, that murdered him. An image futher boasted by the 1955 Hollywood film noir The Phenix City Story.

The young hero (Hollywood version)

But soon, an image of a fearless mob-buster, who fulfilled his father's mission, was replaced with a ruthless racist politician, openly accepting endorsement from the KKK, jailing and beating civil rights activists.

The young villain (non-Hollywood version)

It doesn't matter whether John Patterson was a great mob-buster and it doesn't matter whether John Patterson is pretty liberal and openminded Senator right now. The stains of actions in the 60s, regarding civil rights, will never be washed away. He was the worst symbol of Jim Crow and for many people he'll remain one. This opinion of a leading political historian, made as late as 1980s, was shared by many.

Yet, the first half of the 70s was rather a good time for Senator Patterson. In 1973, he was named Chairman of the Judicary Subcommittee on Organized Crimes, presiding over it's active works. Also, following Folsom reelection, he continued to work, in Health and Labor Committee, to draft universal health care bill with Ted Kennedy.

Patterson had mostly solid liberal record, consistently voting for Great Society programs and opposing escalating U.S. involvement in Vietnam since 1966, mirroring stance of such Senators like J. William Fulbright. On the other hand, while, like most of the former Dixiecrat, he no longer voiced a support for now more and more dead segregation, he remained opposed to such initiatives like busing. I have to remember about my constituencies, after all, he told a friend. However, a symbolic moment came in mid-1973, when he expressed his regrets over violence in the early 60s.

After Folsom landslide reelection in 1972, accompanied by a huge Democratic gains, perspectives were just great. The war was over, economy in good shape. Under first Humphrey, and then Folsom, a number of reforms were enacted, but the liberal leaders were waiting with the big one until moment like this: an universal health care plan.

It's f**king now or never, the President said himself (of course, not publicly this time).

The Universal Health Care Act of 1973, commonly refereed to as Kennedy-Patterson Act, was establishing similar public health care service, as those already operating in Europe. Patterson, along with being bill cosponsor, played an important role in securing Southern Democrats votes, who, despite their populist and New Deal roots, were very sensiting on "big federal government" thing since 1950s (for which people like Alabama Junior Senator himself were responsible in a large part).

"Big Jim" was right. It was now or never. Due to his fresh victory and huge approvals, only a weak filibuster attempt was staged and bill was passed by July 1973.

Oh Jesus, not another Presidential death. Anyway, hmmm... I should pick a Republican for 1976. I'm guessing it'll be a moderate and thus I should probably go looking for a rather Conservative moderate. Hatfield? Ford?

You once mentioned Spiro not winning re-election and possibly planning on running for Senate in the future. Will that come to fruition.

By 1973, "Big Jim" Folsom has all reasons to consider himself one of the most fortunate survivors in American history. After all, he managed to transform himself, in just ten years, from a political wreck to President of the United States, just elected on his own in sweeping landslide.

Also, his more detailed resume was truly impressive. First during his third term in gubernatorial mansion in Montgomery, then as Vice President and, now, President, he played a key role in ensuring surprisingly peaceful transition from segregation and desegregation, largely limiting Republican hopes for their "Southern Strategy". Under his watch, the United States ended it's devastating involvement in Vietnam, begun new phase in foreign relations, cooling Cold War temperature, adopted Universal Health Care, not to mention additional initiatives.

Happy Days: President Folsom with his large family

But success have it's dark side. Alcohol was always a great problem for Folsom and once entering Oval Office, he started to drink more and more, to deal with a monumental pressure of the office. A great blow came shortly after health care victory, when he and his second wife, First Lady Jamelle announced their separation, politely citing "irreconcilable differences", while the entire Washington knew, it's about Big Jim's drinking habits and unreconstructed philandering, that was already legendary in 1940s.

Personal misfortunes were combined with political ones. By 1974, the United States began to experience what was quickly called a "stagflation". Also, a formal Democratic supermajority in Congress began to split very quickly.

Depressed with his (finalized in January 1974) divorce and inability to death with worsening economy, as well as keeping the Democratic Party in one piece, President Folsom announced, shortly after the Democrats suffered serious losses in midterm election, he'll not seek reelection in 1976...

In 1974, a renowned Science Fiction writer Phillip K. Dick, whose 1962 novel The Man in the High Castle is considered a milestone in alternative history, published his second novel of the genre.

The Man in Birmingham begins with altering results of the 1962 Alabama Democratic gubernatorial primary. A new, ultra-segregationist George Wallace wins the race, sending his former-mentor-turned-opponent Jim Folsom to the political obscurity for the rest of his life. Once in office, Wallace became a living symbol of segregationist and racist policies, and Alabama a center field of resistance toward civil rights.

In 1968 President Johnson, whose popularity derailed over Vietnam War escalation, declined to run for reelection and his Vice President Hubert Humphrey is defeated by Richard Nixon in a three-way race, featuring strong independent Wallace candidacy, marking a beginning of the Republican takeover of the South and general shift of the U.S. politics to the right.

It's hard to imagine at first, but storyline is perfectly plausible, one reviewer wrote. One man's defeat in an obscure gubernatorial contest somewhere in the South drastically altered the course of American history: emerging of a sharp racial tensions, "Silent Majority", decline of the counterculture and 1960s liberalism wave and rise of the New Right.